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The City of San Diego

Policy & Regulatory Reform Co-Winner

Crafting the Next Generation of ADU Incentives

San Diego Street

About the ADU Bonus Program

The City of San Diego has implemented an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Bonus Program that offers increased density for Affordable ADUs. This incentive has led to the construction of naturally affordable deed-restricted ADUs throughout the city.

Watch the City of San Diego: ADU Bonus Program's Winner Announcement

San Diego’s bonus ADU program is a great example of what cities can accomplish when they truly want to build more housing. Be creative about opening up locations, make the process transparent and easy to navigate, and provide meaningful incentives in exchange for affordable homes.

Jenny Schuetz - Author of Fixer Upper, Senior Fellow at Brookings, Ivory Prize Advisory Board Member

Jenny Schuetz

Facts & Figures

Click the sections below to reveal some impactful stats from the City of San Diego's ADU Bonus Program (source)

As of 2022, 295 deed-restricted ADUs had been permitted. In contrast, only 7 deed-restricted ADUs were permitted in San Diego from 2018-2021.

Since its 2021 introduction, how many new deed-restricted ADUs have been permitted in San Diego?

In addition to the 147 “base” ADUs allowed by state law, 253 bonus ADUs had been permitted as of 2022.

In addition to deed-restricted ADUs, how many bonus market-rate ADUs has the City of San Diego permitted?

In 2021, San Diego became the first major city in the country to offer an ADU density incentive for small-scale housing projects that include deed-restricted housing

When was the ADU Bonus Program launched?

Previous Ivory Prize Winners

Policy & Regulatory Reform Category

Alley Flats

Next Winner: FirstRepair

Jenny Schuetz
Special  thanks to Jenny Schuetz from the Brookings Institution and other partners for helping us celebrate The City of San Diego: ADU Bonus Program's Ivory Prize award
David Eccles School of Business University of Utah
Housing Innovation Alliance
Decolonizing Wealth Project
ProBuilder Professional Builder
TBD
Urban Institute
Utopia
Up for Growth
Yimby Action
National Association of Countries
Welcoming Neighbor Network
Home Technology Ventures
Alinement Intiative
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
Blueprint
Terner Center for Housing Innovation UC Berkley
Enterprise
Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth A Gary Community Venture
Impact/ Justice A National Innovation and Research Center
Diamond Age
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